Two Finder processes are open. Neither works. What gives?

Solution 1:

Try restarting the LaunchServices database. Launch the Terminal app (Cmd+Space, "Terminal"), and type in

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

Then quit Terminal, restart your mac, and let us know if that fixed it.

Solution 2:

The first thing to check would be Activity Monitor. This should show if the process or processes are actually still running as the force quit dialog can sometimes be stale. Furthermore, you can check for Finder instances by running the following:

sudo ps -ax | grep Finder | grep -v grep

This will show the path to any Finder which is currently running and also provide the PID.

You can also try booting into Safe Mode (hold Shift on boot). This should rebuild the LastApplicationState for Finder (and clear caches) which may allow it to launch correctly next time you boot normally.

^{Full discussion in chat}